‘Quicksilver’ sentenced to life imprisonment for raping woman at knifepoint

Dinesh Seepersaud, also known as ‘Quicksilver,’ was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2020 rape of a woman during a home invasion, where he held her at knifepoint.

Seepersaud was sentenced by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Berbice High Court; he was represented by attorney-at-law Surihya Sabsook.

He had previously pleaded to the indictment which read that between November 20-21, 2020, he engaged in sexual penetration with the victim without her consent.

Seepersaud had also admitted that on the same date and location, he broke into the woman’s home and stole $42,000.

Seepersaud, a resident of Corentyne, had forcefully entered the woman’s residence, subjecting her to a harrowing ordeal while holding her at knifepoint.

He raped her, ransacked her home, and fled with the cash.  During the court hearing, the victim’s impact statement, expressing enduring trauma, was read by state prosecutor Muntaz Ali.

In her statement, the victim emphatically sought justice, stating, “I want justice… I don’t want to see him back. I want him to get a life sentence.”

Justice Kissoon, in imposing the sentence, said that such heinous crimes have become prevalent in society and a strong message must be sent to deter like-minded offenders.

The judge took into account Seepersaud’s prior one-year jail sentence for break and enter, underscoring that he had committed the recent crime upon release.

Justice Kissoon pointed out that Seepersaud has been “steadfast in his refusal to reform or rehabilitate” himself.

As such, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 14 years for the rape and five years for the break-and-enter charge. These sentences will run concurrently.